TIIE OMAIIA DAILY BEE: SATURDAY, DECEMBER 23, 1006.
6
OUR WATCHWORD: "First, last and all th tlm, a business In overy respect beyond reproach."
Metropl
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(INCORPORATED BY THI STATE OP NEW YORK, STOCK COMPANY.)
"The Company OF the People, BY the People, FOR the People."
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Bulletin No. 475 New York, December 8th, 1906
To the Field Force:
GENTLEMEN:
Tt la our custom to address you each year at the time of our annual
Superintendents' Convention. TTsually this la held about the middle of
January, and the topic of the Bulletin Is naturally the Annual State
ment of the Company. This year the Superintendents meet In conven
tion the middle of December, and obviously the record of the year Is
not made up, and It would be premature to eel forth the progress of
the Company In Its business and finances. We ahall have something
very pleasant to say to yiu before we close about what you have ac
complished; but our Immediate object Is to tell you about our plans for
next year.
INDUSTRIAL. DEPARTMENT.
Tou have known from numerous addresses, both oral and written,
what our ambit Urn has been for years In the Industrial part of our
business. Tou will bear us witness that our treatment of the policy
holders has been one of progressive liberality ever since the present
administration of the Company began. The very first year of Its In
cumbency Paid-up policies theretofore unknown to Industrial Insurance
In this country were announced; and every year since then something
has been done for Industrial policy-holders beyond any promise made
In the policies. Bulletin No. 195 set forth these concessions and boun
ties up to Its date and since then the successive years have been
marked by progressive gifts and benefits offered to volley-holders ; and
this year the Company has been disbursing the enormous sum of about
two million dollars In voluntary dividends upon non-partlclpatlng In
dustrial policies; bringing the total amount of unpromised dividends In
twelve yeara to about ten millions of dollars to Industrial policy-holders
In the form of dividends on premiums, dividends on death claims and
Increases of benefits upon existing policies.
We have been enabled ty accomplish this work all these years by
steady . Improvements to business methods, by steady extensions of
business territory, by steady additions to Insurance in force, by watch
fulness In writing and taking care of business, resulting in a decreasing
death rate, decreasing lapse rate and decreasing expense rate. These
Improvements we have announced to you from year to year; but per
haps from this very fact their gradual, steady pnogresslveness you
have failed to grasp their full significance. Yet yenr by year we have
told you our aim to reduce expenses, to Improve the death rate, to
better the policies, to distribute the surplus, so that each year a larger
proportionate amount could bo returned tp policy-holders and a smaller
proportionate amount UBed in expenses.
Within the last few yeara our disbursements for death .claims have
heen so continuously and markedly less In proportion tp Income and our
Improvements In ratio of expenses show so steady an Improvement,
that we thought the time had come to make a aclentlflc resurvey, so to
speak, pf the technical featuree of the business. We have made Invest!
gallons Into our mortality and drawn off Into various periods our ex
perience of mortality. The mortality tables upon which our present
tables are founded were taken from the experlemai of 1890-1894. A
comparison of this with tablea taken from the experience pf other
perloda has shown a steady improvement in mortality. In the case
of children the result is really startling. Take, for Instance, age two
next birthday. Our present table Bhows 49.8 deatha per thousand; a
table 1896-1905 shows but 86.9; age three the figures are respectively
83 and 24.3; age five 16 and 9.8; age ten 5.5 and 3.8, and this Improve
ment runs through the Infatlle table. As to adults there Is also a
marked Improvement.
These facta convince us that the time haa come to construct new
tables of benefits founded upon our experience of 1898-1905; and we are
confirmed In' our conviction by the fact that a table drawn from the
years 1901-1905 ahpwa a better experience than that of the full decade.
And It seems to us Just to base these tables upon the experience of
white lives; and to give benefits bnsed upon the Improvement which we
feel certain Is permunent. How great this Improvement Is We Illustrate
by a few figures comparing the table upon which our present benefits
are based with a table of white lives for the last ten years. Deaths
per thousand: age two next birthday 49.3 reduced to 34.7; age three 32
tp 22.6; age four 21.5 to 13.2; age five 16 to 9.6; age ten 6.5 to 3.4; ae
twenty 10.6 to 7.1; age thirty 16.7 to 1.11; age forty 19.3 to 14.3. The
other element besides mortality Involved In a table of benefits fa of
course the expense. As you know, our ratio of expense to premium In
come has been falling fir some years; this year the reduction has been
phenomenal and will reach, we think, by the end of the year, three per
cent! This alone means a saving of nearly one and a half mlllljus of
dollars! We shall show a lower ratio of expense for 1906 than has
been experienced by any Industrial company In the world.
One other element Kes Into the construction of tables of benefits
and that Is the maturity of the policies. When we made up our present
table we were convinced that the publlo was enamored of endowments.
Our Industrial business haa been Issued for ten yeara, as you know,
mainly upon Endowment tablea Increasing Life and Endowment
policies and Twenty-year Endowment forming a very large proportion,
In some yeara over 90 per cent, of our total business. One disadvantage
of this table haa been that It largely Increased the reserve. Our
children's Increasing Life and Endowment policies have been endow
ments payable after perloda of 47 years and upwards according to age
at Issue. Compared with the Whple Life tablea Issued by other com
panies these have made necessary the accumulation of an Increase of
many millions of dollars In reserve. Unthinking persons come to the
conclusion that this pllea up the wealth of the Company, forgetting that
along with the Increase of asseta runs the Increase pf liabilities, and
that the wealth of a company consists In Its surplus; and completely
overlooking the remarkable fact that we have deliberately kept down
our surplus to about ten per cent of our assets by annual distributions
of the exceaa pf aurplua earned to the pollcy-holdera who contributed to
It. Public opinion haa changed and now carea more for death beneflta
than endowmenta. We are in business to please the public We have
a good deal of evidence that Ordinary Life and Limited Payment Life
contracts are thought preferable to Endowments. We have resolved
therefore tp discontinue our Increasing Life and Endowment policies,
which were designed to meet the public demand formerly existing, and
which were, we believe, the first tables ever really scientifically con
structed for Industrial policies. Our new Industrial policies will there
fore be Whole Life contracts. But we think that aa to theae there are
signs of a belief pn the part of the public that payment of premiums
ought to cease with pld age. It la hard for people to aee what to any
mathematician la aelf-evident, that In life Insurance the companies are
enabled to pay the policies In full on Uvea of those who die soon after
lnsuranoe only by the receipt of premiums from those who live out and
beypnd trrair expectations; and that the apparent hardship upon those
who live long ts only the contribution to the unfortunate which Is the
essential basts of life Insurance. However, It Is possible of course to
make tables for limited payments, and the problem is therefore to fix I
an age that ahall npt be so young aa to raise the premiums or (what
s the same In Industrial Insurance where the unit Is the premium and
not the amount of Insurance) to reduce the benefits unduly; and on the
other hand to fix the age not so old that the beneflta of the limits of
payment of premium shall be lost. We have fixed age 75 as the TTmtt
of payment of premiums because at that age we are enabled to pnly
slightly reduce the beneflta during life and because we have not re
ceived many complaints of the necessity of paying premiums up to that
age. And to the occasional complaint that "people never live to such
old age," we may answer that in 1906 we ahall have voluntary, aa mat
ter of grace, paid abput 2,700 clatma aa Endowmenta on policies issued
as Whole Life on persona reaching age 80 after paying premiums for It
years or over.
Constructing a table of benefits upon theae four principles Whole
Life Instead of Endowments; our recent mortality experience Instead of
pur old; a loading proportioned to our reduced expenses; and the pay
ment of premiums ceasing after age 75 we shall put forth for 1907 new
tables in the Industrial department which are better than any company
has heretofore Issued and better than we have ever before this felt It
safe to issue.
The most striking change la In the Infantile table, because there
we substitute Life tables with payment of premiums limited to age 76
for our comparatively shprt Increasing Endowment tablea now In use;
and are therefore enabled to pay in beneflta what we have been com
pelled to hold aa reserve liability upon the endowment features.
Our new Infantile tables will pay nearly a much In death beneflta
for a weekly premium of five centa as we have heretofore paid for a
weekly premium of ten centa. It is pf course understood that the law
fixes a maximum of benefits payable upon children and this we cannot
exceed. We have therefore Increased the beneflta at the later agea for
persistence. Thus at age two at entry dying at age nine Is 8173, while
the benefit at age three at entry dying at age nine Is $189, and the
benefit at age four at entry dying at age nine ia $166, and so on. Tula
is a recognition of the additional years for which premiums have heen
paid by those entering at earlier ages when death pecura at the aame
age. It follows from this large increase of benefits for five centa that
hereafter no policy will be Issued under the Infantile tables for a total
premium of more than five cents. And to meet a desire for less in
surance, especially in large families, we have a table with proportlpnate
benefits for a weekly premium of three centa.
Our Adult tablea show an increaae of beneflta for the aame premium
based strictly upon our tables of mortality. At age ten the increase is
12 per cent over our present Life table and nearly 18 per cent over
our Increasing Life and Endpwment table. At age 20 the increase ts
over 9 per cent and over 23 per cent respectively; at age 30 the increaae
is nearly 6 per cent and nearly 20 per cent respectively; at age 40 the
Increase is 2 per cent and over 13 per cent respectively, and so on.
And. in comparing these tables with our present Whole Life tables (and
with thoae of moat of the other Industrial companies) it must npt be
forgetten that these old tables provide for payment of premiums dur
ing the whole of life, while under our new tablea payments pf premiums
ceases at age 76.
We have increased the immediate benefits under all these policies
In accordance with the rule we made retroactive this year, to half
beneflta during the first six months and full benefits thereafter.
We have introduced Into all these policies new features In the way
of surrender values. Paid-up policies will be granted after three years
Instead of five; extended insurance will be granted after three years at
the optipn of the holder; and cash surrenders will be paid after ten
years. The policies will be In new and attractive forms, with three
pages Instead ef two, In order to set forth all of the concessions, mak
ing the rights of the pollcy-holdera so plain that any pne will be able
to tell what he ia entitled to. And the whole contract will be ex
pressed In the policy, doing away entirely with the necessity of a eppy
of the application, using the form in this respect for all policies which
we adopted many years ago for policies under $300.
ORDINARY DEPARTMENT.
One pf the most striking results of the Armstrong Investigation
was the adoption of a provision restricting expenses for the first year of
the life of the policy. And what Is most Interesting as well as compli
mentary to the Metropolitan Is the fact, which appeared In tho news
paper discussion at the time of the -adoptlpn of the report and bills,
that this restriction by law was Justified by the experience of this
Company in the matter of expenses as shown by an analysis of its
annual reports. It ia true that this Company kept Its expenses almost
within the limit prescribed by the new statute. But the statute Is a
penal one and we cannot run any risk of overrunning the limit of ex
pense. Thla necessitates a reductipn of commissions, but the reduction
will be very much less than that made necessary by the companies
issuing participating policies. This company will not Issue after this
year any other than non-partlclpatlng policies. In fact. In the true sense of
the term we have not Issued any other for nearly fifteen years; for.
as we have often explained, the Intermediate and Special Class policies
were based upon stock or a npn-partlclpatlng loading and the dividends
promised, If earned, were expected to be derived from the mortality.
These policies were entirely novel and we had little experience to
guide ua. The Intermediate policies were based upon our Industrial
table of mortality and were designed for Industrial risks who cpuld
afford to pay annually Instead of weekly premiums; and the mortality
of such a claaa could not be foretold. The Special Class policies were
for sub-standard risks as to which the mortality cpuld not be accur
ately predicted. What we undertook to do was to pay back to the
pollcy-holdera the gain from such Improvement in mortality over the
expected aa should be actually experienced. As participating policies
are based uppn a higher or so-called mutual loading out of which
dividends are expected to be earned, we claim that our Intermediate
and Special Class policies baaed upon a atock loading were In principle
non-partlclpatlng. All of our other policies in the Ordinary Department
were by their terms non-participating. The law haa Justified us In the
principles we adopted fifteen yeara ago, and today the Armstrong laws
and the similar ones prepared fpr other States are a vindication of the
Metropolitan principles in which you have been trained. We have now
an experience of Intermediate and Special Class risks which enable
us to prepare non-partlclpatlng tables. The tables of premiuma as to
these policies have heretofore been completely readjusted. We think
you will find them moat attractive.
We realise that we ahall henceforth have more competition In non
partlclpatlng policies. Other companies have announced their purpose
to restrict their Issue to this form. We have therefore thought it in
ypur tntereat aa well aa our own and In the Interest of the public, which
la superior to both, to use a part of the reduction on commission to
effect some reduction of premium. New tables have been prepared
which we think will be attractive to our customers and which there
fore will" be profitable to you. In adjusting these commissions we have
thought it only Just to restore to the Superintendents an Interest In
them which we were compelled to withdraw a few years ago and which
you remember the Vice-President promised at the time to restore when
we should be able to arrange It. And we have also recognized the
gpod work of Assistant Superintendents by giving them an Interest In
the work of their agents. We realize that the duties of Superintendents
and Assistants Include the instruction and training of Industrial agents
in the work of the Ordinary Department. We want all of our agents
to be all-around insurance men. Our Superintendents and Assistants
have imposed1 upon them as a duty the supervision, the constant help
and encouragement and the education pf their agenta. We have made
it an interest aa well as a duty.
Our new policies will be found most attractive in form and even
more attractive in subatance. They contain all of the advantages and
concessions which we can afford to give and which the public have a
right to expect. The surrender values will be found to be generous
and take the pptlonal forms of extended Insurance, paid-up Insurance
and cash. They are the standard forms of the New York Department,
the work of experts which baa legislative approval. They are as plain
to the understanding ua they can be made. We have discontinued
many plana as unnecessary. We shall Issue Ordinary Life, Limited
Payment, Endowment and Term pinna; and we have applied for per
mission and hope to issue In addition threo plana which the public
have stamped with their approval namely, the Optional Life or Endpw
ment. under a new name, the Modified Endowment with Life Option
the Guaranteed Dividend, also under a new and more descriptive name,
the Guaranteed Increased Endowment; and the Reduced Premium LlfOj
under Its new name. Life with Reduced Premium after 20 Years.
Gentlemen, we are entitled to say that the Armstrong Inveatlgn
tion was a vindication of the methods and practices of tho Metropolitan
Life. The Armstrong laws are In many respects a distinct recognition
of the work we have done together these many years. See that you
appreciate this fact to the utmpst. Show that you do by making the)
year 1907 an unexampled year for the Issue of more policies, for largef
Insurance, for greater gain, for less lapses and not-tnkens, at a lest
expense, at a greater return to policy-holders that you have ever done.
Live up to your blessings! Show that ypu appreciate the reward which
the Legislature has conferred upon your good work of'tho pastl Make)
1907 the greatest because the best year in the Company's history 1
THIS YEAR, 1906.
You have started well. Last year, the year of the Investigation,
you did the largest business we had ever done. The first part pf thla
year the paralysis which seemed, unreasonably and unnecessarily, to
have fallen upon the business In general, appeared to have affected
even you even more unreasonably and unnecessarily. Finding this to
be the fact, the Vice-President appealed to you in personal conferences
with the Superintendents In little groups all over tho country; pplnjted
out to you the facts and conclusions of the Armstrong Inquiry and the
results as embodied In legislation; showed you the essential approval
wo had received in our work In bpth departments, and asked you to
respond to all this for the remainder of the year by making the best
record you had ever made. This was In May and June. It would be
most ungrateful not to make this public and general acknowledgement
of your response to the appeal, and pn behalf of the Vice-President I
give to you his porsonal thanks and add our official acknowledgements.
The s'ear Is not yet ended and we cannot therefore tell the whole
story. But for the months July tp November, Inclusive, compared with
the same months of previous years:
You made the largest amount of Industrial Increase which the Com
pany ever made, except In 1894 and 1903.
The agenta wrote the largest amount of Industrial business, average
per man, of any of the last ten years.
The average Increase per man was larger than for ary of the past
ten yeara.
The ratio of lapses was the third lowest for ten years past.
The number of transferred accounts was the lowest for eight years,
notwithstanding the larger force of men with which we started and the
larger reduction In the force we have made this year.
The collections were the best In the history of the Companyl
The death claims reached the lowest ratio for the last 25 years
notwithstanding the Increased average age of the policy-holders.
The special salary to agents averaged the largest amount In the
last ten years; and yet we saved $100,000 In the total compared with
last year.
" The saving In total cost In these Items alone, medical fees, (because
of a reduction In number of applications), assistants' salaries and spe
cial salary, was at the rate of a million dollars a year.- "
We may add that the Pacific Coast kept up with the procession by
the remarkable feat pf covering for the year too enormous lapse caused
by the earthquake and' Is certain to close the year with a handsome In
crease. In the Ordinary Department September ahput equaled September of
last year, while October and November largely exceeded the correspond
ing months of last year, and December promises to be a record breaker!
And taking the last six months for comparison June to November,
Inclusive you wrote mpre Ordinary thnn ever was written by the Com
pany in the corresponding months and exceeded 1905 by over six millions,
and a half; and this It must be remembered by more than 3,000 less men!
We are proud of this record and we are grateful to you for your
generous response. We cannpt say more than to wish for you and yours
the happiest and most prosperous year of your Uvea in 19071
Very sincerely yours,
i
John R. Hegeman,
PRESIDENT.
AFFAIRS AT SOUTH OMAHA
City Engineer Completes EetVne the Stakes
for the Mud Greek bluer.
FIRST WORK TO BE DONE AT THE TUNNEL
Cltlsens Are wstehlna Progress and
HopInK the Work Will Mot Be De.
layed by Someone Bealanlnsr
Injunction Proceedings.
The city engineer reported yesterday that
the stakes were being set for the line of
the new Mud Creek sewer. It Is under
stood that Contractor Oeorgo Parks, rep
reBcntlng the National Construction com
pany, will begin the work In the near fu-
tiin Tho vround staked Is along the ex
tension of Monroe street, below the river
,inff At the bluffs the tunnel work will
begin. This Is the most difficult part of
the construction of this aewer. There are
reveral hundred feet which must be tun
neled through. It may be found that the
...ii I. not firm enough for safety and a
c:p will have to be used to protect the
men and the sewer will have to be put up
in sectional pieces of molded and reinforced
concrete. It la the Intention to work as
tvi.mv men as are necessary on thla sec
tlon of the work durtng the cold weather
and rush the balance of the work when
irm.r weather comes In the spring.
The Burlington road, which skirts the
bluffs, Is Intending to lay a spur track
for the unloading of material for the new
sewer at the point where the sewer Inter
sects the roadbed. It la understood that.
the necessary grading for this apur has
begun. The spur will not extend farther
than the foot of the bluffs, but will be a
great source of economy to the contractors
by preventing a lengthy haul of material.
The sections of the sewer will be molded
on the ground as needed. The contemplated
work is quite a difficult piece of engineer
ing, but, barring practical difficulties of
the soil now unforeseen, the work should
bo completed In the spring.
The great and ever present threat to the
progress of the work is the fear of in
junction proceedings. There are plenty
of people who predict that this work will
be tied up as effectually as the work on
Missouri avenue, which Injunction- Is still
under advisement by the court. It la under
stood that Contractor Hugh Murphy la
about to Institute proceedings against the
sewer contractors out of revenge for what
he considers Interference In his contract on
Missouri avenue. This rumor, however,
may not result In action.
John Tangneny, a carpenter working at
the Gate City Malt works, fell from a acaf
foldlng and received aevere injury to his
ankles andjjack. The cause of hla fall
was the breaking of the props which held
the scaffold. He fell about fifteen feet and
landed on a pile of brick. He was taken
to the South Omaha hospital in the Brewer
ambulance. He lives at the Vinton hotel,
at Twenty-fourth and Vinton atreeta.
The health officer haa prepared a state
Colds on
the Chest
Ait your doctor the medical name for a cold
on the chest. He will ty, 4 Bronchitis." Ask
him if it i efer aeric-us. Lastly, ask him if
be prescribes Ayers Cherry Pectoral for this
disease. Keep in close touch with your family
physicisn, and follow hit advice carefully.
he ne seorettl We pubUta J.O. AxertSe.,
thoforiuaUtof U ou-prfJtloE. .
WE CURE MEN
FOR $7.50
10 DAYS' TREATMENT $1.50
Ey the Old Reliable Dr. Searles & Searlcs
Ektabll.hed In Omaha for tt years. The many thou
sands of cases cured by us makes us the moat experi
enced Specialists In the West, lu all diseases and dis
orders vt men We know Just what wtU cure you
and curs quickly.
examination and consultation. Write for
vJW BvmDloiii Blank for home treatment.
V t Symptom Blank for borne treatment
119 S. Uth. Cor. 14th I Douglas St$., OmiSi, ieb
ment of the oases of contagious diseases
fcr the present year and made also a com
parison with the previous year. Up to the
present day there have been sixty-five
cases of diphtheria, fifty-six cases of scar
let fever and seventeen cases of smallpox.
This makes a total of 138 cases of con
tagion. In 1905 there were twenty-seven
cases of diphtheria, forty cases of scarlet
fever, eleven cases of smallpox and one
case of measles reported. This gives a
total for the year of eighty cases. There
were, therefore, fifty-eight more cases of
contagion reported this year than In 1906.
Faneral of Mrs. Leavltt.
The funeral services over the body of
Miss Helen Leavltt were conducted by
Rev. James Wise of St. Martin's church at
1 p. m. yesterday. A large gathering of
friends attended. The burial was In For
est Lawn cemetery. .
The wedding of Miss Sarah Moore and
Samuel McRann was celebrated laat night
at 8 p. m. Dr. R. L. Wheeler performed
the ceremony at the home of the bride's
mother. Twenty-seventh and L streets.
Both of the young people are well known
and respected In the city. Miss Moore is
a member of the Presbyterian church and,
was married by her pastor. She was a
member of a little club known aa the
Bachelor Girls- club, and she was the first
to break the vows of that organisation.
The wedding was very simple and only
the nearest relatives were present. The
couple will make their home In South
Omaha.
Hana Peterson was brought to the jail
Wednesday evening by his friends and
booked under the charge of Insanity. He
was completely irrational. The friends left
him there. In about two hours or more
he came to his sense and told the Jailer
that he had been engaged In an encounter
at one of the packing houses and that hla
opponent had struck him a heavy blow with
his fist, which waa the direct cause of bis
abberatlon of mind. The peculiar thing
about the affair waa that not one of
the several friends who helped bring him
to the Jail told what was the cause of
his condition. The man might easily have
died without medical attention from the
effects of the blow. When he arrived at
the Jail there waa nothing to Indicate that
he had been struck, but about the time
he came to his aenae hla face began to
swell fiom the effects of the I'eavy blow
he had received. When the doctor finally
made the examination he waa of the opin
ion that the man would Buffer no serious
consequences from the blow. The roan who
truck him Is unknown, both to the victim
and to the police. .
Maalo City Oosslp.
Bridal Rose Sliver. Godfrey's.
Dr. A. O. Lundetl has gone to Red Osk.
Ia.. fur a day or two to inspect th aurU-
tary condition of a packing plant at that
point '
Mra. I. N. Shevlln haa returned from a
week's visit at St. Joseph, Mo.
The lists of the January police detail
were posted yesterday in the city Jail.
South Omaha Country Club Bpoona. God
frey's. .
The condition of R. B. Montgomery Is
atlll very critical and there la little hope of
recovery.
Dr. W. B. Day of Salt Lake City, em
ployed In the government service, haa been
transferred to South Omaha.
Saturday men's pants worth up to S3.25
for II, corduroy included. Nebraska Shoe
and Clothing House, South Omaha,
Standard Loan Co., 2420V4 N St. Special
rates during holiday season.
J,SBe Spence, a meat Inspector from Port
land Ore., Is now added to the South
Omana force of the Bureau of Animal In
dustry. Saturday men's suits, regular 115 value.
Bale price $10. Nebraska Shoe and Cloth
ing House, South Omaha
Miss Sarah Chapin of Bellevue college Is
spending a few daya during the holiday
aeason with Miss Sarah Davidson 8age.
.letter's Gold Top Beer delivered to all
parte of the city. Telephone No. S
. Ptrlck Sullivan. 8608 P street, reported to
the police that someone had stolen from his
c-iueuce seven smrta and a ault of under
clothing. He haa no clue to the thief.
A nearo by the name of Ben Smith la
wanted for a lob nf hniiuhr.ai,in. tl.
last dace he visited ma. th.
"iank Hart, Twelfth and J streets. Wednes
day nigiii.
Saturday. Wave' &c. fini-v
loo Scotch knit gloves, 26o; Il.tO fancy
sweaters, wc; ood wool shirts. 96c: shaw
knit hose, 2uc; boys' corduroy knkker
buokers. 96c. All wool underwear. 76c;
cashmere hose, 16c, eta Nebraska Shoe
and Clothing House, South Omaha.
Tim Cottlln. who was arrested for the
cutting of Cornelius Starr, Patrick Hannl
gan's bartender, Christmas day, was dis
missed from the charge of drunkenness
yesterday morning. Starr will not be out
for a week at least.
Prof.' E. P. Wilson, wife and three
daughters of Wayne, ate Christmas dinner
with Kev. Ralph W. Livers. Mrs. Wilson,
who Is a sister of Mrs. Livers, will remain
through (he holidays. Prof. Wilson Is the
superintendent of the Wayne public schools
and nas gone to Lincoln to attend the
Teachers' association.
Saturday men's tl&SO eravenettes. S7 (0;
16 overcoats, (10; pants worth up to $3.60
for $1 90, also big bargains In boys' cloth
ing. Nebraska Shoe and Clothing House,
Twenty-fifth and N streets. Bouth Omaha.
The Presbyterian Women's Missionary
society met yesterday afternoon with Mrs.
W. 8. Shaefer and a most enjoyable dis
cussion of the mountain whites ef Ken
tucky and Tennesee was indulged In. Mrs
W. J. McBurney. Mra. J. U. Fowler. Mrs.
Smith and Mra Oliver rendered appropriate
Sans or tne entertainment. Miss lxrcn
ulinton also read an excellent paper.
OUR LETTER BOX.
J
James B. Kltehea a Sick Man.
James B. Kitchen, president of the
Kitchen Hotel company, proprietors of the
r'axton notei, is seriously in si nis noma.
3ut South Thirty-second avenue, of general
debility. He has been etrk for several
days and his oondJUuua offers no alga of
Improvement.
Questions Abont Annexation.
SOUTH OMAHA, Deo. CT. To the Editor
of The Bee: I see that none of your ad
vocates for annexation are willing to elgn
their own namea. If annexation will be such
a good' thing I do not see why Mr. Fisher
and others who do not sign their names
are afraid to do so. I would like to ank
you some questions and would like you to
reply In The Bee.
Most of the people of South Omaha live
within a mile of the business center of the
city. If we are annexed to Omaha none
of us will be much If any less than five
miles from the center of business In
Omaha.
How will It benefit the people of South
Omaha to remove the center of busines
many miles from where It is now?
If we are annexed. It Is very likely that
the South Omaha High school will be
simply a ward school. If such should be
the case, how will It be of benefit to people
of South Omaha who send boy and girls
to the high school here, to pay many
thousands of dollars a year In street car
fares alone, to the Omaha High school,
besides much more money In lunches that
they can get at home now?
If we are made a distant part of Omaha
what may we expect In the way of improvements?
We all understand fully all of the In
junction business down here and know It
la all done for the purpose of forcing us
to annexation. It is time the courts were
shown what all of this Injunction business
Is for. It looks aa If there are people who
are ualng the machinery of the courts, not
for the benefit of the public, for tt Is a
detriment to a great many people of South
Omaha, but to force ua to vote for annrx
atlon. We are not all of us. by a long
shot, pleased with the present city admin
istratlon, but we think we have as good
If not a better one than Omaha has at this
time, or has had for some years back.
Talk about politicians opposing annexe
tlon, I will say I find but few who talk
annexation outside of a few of the saloon
keepers, and those few are people who do
not think South Omaha Is good enough to
live In and who do not even go to South
Omaha churchia. though they make all
their money here. The loudest talker for
annexation Uvea here, but goes to church In
Omaha. If such people do not like It here.
they can move back to Omaha. If Omaha
Is a good place to be annexed to, why Is
It that your voters register from year to
year a republican majority of from (.000 to
7, and when they vote only cast a ma
jority of from 300 to 800 and many times
do not do even half that well? The voters
ought to show a little more honor In poli
tics before wanting us to go In with them.
Do you not think so? Even though with
many other republicans of South Omaha,
I have not been as successful in politics as
I would like to have been, I am still op
posed to annexation until I am shown
wherein we will gain much benefit by it.
The fellow who wrote to The Bee a few
days ago and was afraid to sign hla own
name, but did talk about what God had
done for us, evidently did not understand
that God wants us to stay by ourselves un
til we got good and ready to be swallowed
up by Omaha, and do not think Mike' Lee
has been delegated by the Almighty to
force us to annex to Omaha now or ever
If we do not want to. He said you can
not tell where the line between tho two
cities Is until told. You cannot teli
where the line between Douglas and
B.irpy county lies until you are shown
Should we for that reason take Sarpy
county Into Douglas county? I do
not think that is a very good argument to
say the least, we cannot ten wnere me nuo
between Nebraska and Kansas lies until
we are shown. For thnt reason. I suppose,
W should take Kana-is In, for It would
only take half as many men to run one
state as two.
Give us some better reasons for annexa
tion than have been given so rar or lei
us stay where we are. F. A. AGNEW.
Now Is the time to make your wants
known through The Bee Want Ad Page.
MONEY STOLEN OF SLEEPER
Two Hundred and Sixty Dollars Dls.
appears When Camp Hand
Is Snooslns;.
Charged with robtMng Mllo Thomas of
$2i'A Nick Savage was arrested late Thurs
day evening In a grading camp west of
Omaha and Is in the county Jail. His
father also was taken to Jail and probably
will be charged with the mine offense,
lioth men work In the grading ramp and It
In asserted Savage took tho money when
Thomas was BHleep and then escorted him
out of camp and threatened him with death
if he came hack. A loaded rifle and a shot
gun were found concealed In Savage's bunk
and were confiscated by the officers.
Hoth men are Austrian and can make
themselves understood with difficulty.
If you have anything to trade aavtrtle
It in the For Exchange column of The
Hee Want Ad page.
Movements of Ocean Vessels reo. 27.
At New York Sailed: Ftedrich der
Crvsr, for Bremen; l.a Provence, for
Havre.
At Naples Arrived: Montevldlo, from
,ew l orK.
At St. John Arrived: Montcalm, from
Bristol.
At Glasgow Arrived: Carthagenla, from
Philadelphia.
At Marseilles Arrived: Roma, from New
York.
At Hamburg Sailed: Patricia, for New
York.
The Habit of Health
Many people have a habit of ailing. How much better it would be
to learn to keep well. Tor health, after all, is largtly a matter ol
habit, which all may acquire with a little practise.
mm
teach pood habits to Stomach, Li-.er, Kilneys and Bowels. K yon
are subject to Dilious Attacks, sutler from Constipation or are
troubled with Indif?estion, Nervousness or Headache, Bcecham'i
Pills will reform all these bad habit and set an example of good
health, which the body will quickly follow. You can break up all
sickly habits by occasionally Uiintf the health suggestions trans
muted by Iicecham's iJilli.
Bold everywhere la Boxee.
lOe and BSa.